No Full-Day Kindergarten in District 112 Next Year

Administrators in North Shore School District 112 have opted against adding a full-day kindergarten program at selected schools for the 2016-17 school years.

Space constraints, financial uncertainties and the inequities of a lottery system were reasons to delay the start of such a program, the Highland Park News reports.

“One of the things we learned during our research is that children who are in a play-based learning kindergarten really excel and demonstrate stronger skills by the time they reach the age of 10 or 12,” said Kristin Swanson, the district’s assistant superintendent for student services. “They were stronger in the areas of reading, math, social skills, emotional development and creativity, which is huge, because overall we have seen a decline in creativity skills over the last 10 to 15 years.”

During a November 17 board meeting, trustees cited the uncertainty regarding the outcome of a possible $150 million-plus referendum regarding the reconfiguration of district schools as reason to agree with the administration.

“It would really be almost irresponsible to (add full-day kindergarten) right at this moment, given where we are with the tax cap and the state of our facilities and finances,” board member Karla Livney said.

more via the Highland Park News